


Something To Talk About

by teeslover



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alien Food, Fluffy?, Gen, Lance is nicer than normal, M/M, blind aliens with good noses, chewy Hunk but not yummy Hunk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-20
Updated: 2016-07-20
Packaged: 2018-07-25 12:55:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,468
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7533568
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/teeslover/pseuds/teeslover
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The gang goes on a much needed shopping spree. Hunk insists being chewy is bad, Lance buys stuff and gets hungry a lot, and Keith is confronted with an... interesting theory.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Something To Talk About

**Author's Note:**

> So this is my first Voltron fic and my first fic on AO3 but if you like it, check me out on fanfiction.net :) There's no other Voltron fics though, just some other things... ^_^

“Wooooahh, where are we and why does it smell like everything I've ever thought heaven would smell like?” Hunk exclaimed, going up to every stand surrounding him in what he assumed was some type of alien farmer’s market. 

After several days of complaining from the team, save for Hunk, Coran decided that maybe it was time to buy new ingredients to add to and/or replace the food goo. “Well, Hunk, I’m not sure what this ‘heaven’ is, but if it’s something good, I completely agree!” 

“And why couldn’t I stay in the castle with Shiro and Pidge?” Keith palmed a couple of little cubes, dropping them back after discovering their overpowering odor. 

“Because Shiro and Pidge are working on his techy, magic arm and because Allura kicked us out when we kept bothering them.” Lance walked ahead of Keith to find the things the rest of the team requested, but stopped to spin back around and tease his rival. “Besides, you could stand to get out more. Maybe you’d be less grumpy all the time!” He skipped away before Keith could respond.

Coran was farther in the bazaar, marveling at all the new foods, before picking up a round bumpy fruit, giving it a huge whiff, and dropping it in the shopping basket. “Allura’s favorite.” He then went to a table covered with what looked like very big, coiled up, blue silkworms and swept seven of them into the basket. “Welcome to the planet Miros, paladins! Oh, and before I forget, the inhabitants absolutely loathe being referred to as ‘Mirosians’. They are the Kekori, don’t forget it!” 

“Why? Is this, like, not their home planet or something?” Keith asked, following Coran to the proprietor of the stand. 

“No, the Kekori are a largely nomadic species. They inhabit quite a few planets across the galaxy. You see, this planet was a desert wasteland about thirty… oh, well, I suppose ten thousand and thirty years ago. This group found it habitable and molded it to the fertile paradise it is now. Think of it like, well, the situation is a bit different, but you’re not Earthlings, you’re humans. As they are not Mirosians.” 

Coran dropped his basket in front of the owner, who started to count his items. “Just these and whatever else those two want.” He gestured to Lance and Hunk, the latter of which was still sniffing items and had yet to actually decide on buying anything. Keith yelled at them to hurry it up.

Lance ran over to drop what he had picked up, checking them off his mental checklist as they were charged. “Pidge wanted something peanut butter-y and the closest I could find was this brown sticky stuff.” He held up a jar of what looked like thick, light brown slime. “Could be anything, really. And Shiro said he was really craving a spicy something, so I picked up these... chili peppers?” He poked a couple of 2-foot blue crescent shapes. “And I think Hunk might be trying to smell the entire market…We could always come back for him?” 

Keith rolled his eyes, even though he definitely appreciated his teammate’s penchant for finding good food. He turned back to Coran, who was trying to figure out the planet’s exchange rate. “Hold on, so how did they manage to turn a desert into an oasis? I mean, how did they know this place could even support plants?”

“Ahh, well, I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but Kekori have terrible eyesight, they’re nearly blind. Their sense of smell, however, is superb! They have hundreds of thousands of smell receptors in those pink noses of theirs! I suppose that mixed with generations’ worth of cultivating knowledge led to their success!” 

The owner seemed to blush over Coran’s fawning, while simultaneously basking in the glory.

Lance and Keith scanned the market and focused on the species running the stands. They were small in stature, though considerably bigger than an Arusian. They had short arms, but long fingers with dulled nails. Half-lidded eyes dominated the populace as Kekori shuffled around their market, nose tendrils twitching at every little thing. To Lance, they looked a bit like upright capybaras crossed with star-nosed moles. Keith didn’t know what to think. 

A few minutes later, Hunk had finally come over, one hand carrying a full basket, the other arm nestling even more ingredients. “Ok, I think I’m done. But we have to come back! Please! It’s important to me.” 

“Not to worry, Hunk, you can make one more run before we leave tomorrow.” Coran pulled out some more money to cover the new cost, ignoring Hunk’s pleading squeak of “just one?” 

“Always a pleasure doing business with you, Altean,” the owner smiled at the group, nose flaring after each sniff. “Before you go, if you don’t mind me asking what your friends here are? I don’t think I’ve ever smelled the likes of them before.” 

“Oh, well, you wouldn’t have! Their home planet is light-years away!” Coran slapped the backs of the paladins, pushing them forward. “These three humans are from the Milky Way galaxy, from a planet called Earth.”

“Hmm… Never heard of it, but we’re always welcome to new species!” Then, with an action no one would have seen coming, the owner reached for the clapper of a bell that was hanging from the top of the stand and rung it with such zeal that it captured the attention of the entire market. “Everyone, humans have arrived from the planet Earth! A new delicacy to-!”

“Whoa, whoa, stop!” Coran yelled, herding the boys together to place himself in front of them. A crowd had rushed to see what the new rarity could possibly be and had now stopped short, noses turned towards the Altean. “Not delicacies, definitely not food! These three make up more than half of the universe’s most powerful line of defense!”

There was a significantly long pause until a Kekori somewhere shouted, “Oh, I told you they weren’t meant to be eaten! Why would they be purchasing goods?” With that, a collective realization dawned upon the rodent-like aliens and, with little grumbling, they went back to their business. 

The owner let the bell go and smiled sheepishly at the four who had almost gotten killed. “Ha, my mistake… Deepest apologies, humans! Well, I’m going to go now. Please, enjoy the rest of the actual food!” The stand was abandoned in less than a second, with just a symbol left on it to show that it was closed. 

“So… I don’t think I want to come back anymore…” Hunk frantically gathered all of his stuff and was suspiciously eyeing anyone that came close. “Can we leave, like, now?!”

“Yep, sounds like a great idea!” Lance picked up his groceries and threw whatever was left to Keith and Coran. “Let’s go!” 

As they were speed walking back to the castle, which, at this point, seemed to be parked way too far away, Keith kept glancing behind and around him, feeling as if something weird was going on. “Does anyone else think they’re still watching us?”

“They still want to eat us, I knew it! I knew they weren’t convinced!” Hunk squeaked, picking up the pace. “You guys, we have to tell them that I would be so chewy, just not good at all!”

“Excuse me.” A tall Kekori tapped on Hunk’s shoulder, causing him to throw up everything he was holding, as he scrambled behind Coran and Keith. Lance yelped as he fruitlessly tried to catch the food before it fell to the ground. 

The one who interrupted their escape caught the rest and, with hands held up in a surrendering manner, gave the foods back. “My apologies, humans and Altean! I merely had an inquiry!”

“Umm, thank you.” Hunk cleared his throat, dusted himself off, and approached the alien. “You don’t have some kind of overwhelming desire to eat us?”

“No, no, I would never do anything that would be met with such disapproval!” 

“Didn’t really answer the question, but all right, we’ll go with it.” Lance muttered, getting closer to the curious individual. “Ask away, Kekori... dude.”

“Some of the other merchants realized there was another scent that didn’t quite fit in with the new human smell and… well, we were just wondering if you could say what the other one is. Curiosity seemed to have gotten the best of us, you see.” He looked at the four expectantly, a wide grin on his face. 

“Uhh,” Lance glanced at Hunk and Keith, confused beyond all reason. “No, no. I’m pretty sure we’re all human. I mean, I think we would’ve noticed by now, right?” He laughed uncomfortably, looking to Coran for support.

“Yes, they’re straight from Earth. You must be mistaken. It’s not just me you’re smelling?” 

“No, it’s very peculiar. The human scent is recognizable, but it’s mixed with something else. Something…” The Kekori sniffed the air around them, then grabbed Hunk by the shoulders and inhaled. “No… not you. Though you do smell very sweaty and nervous.” 

“I- I wouldn’t... I’m very chewy!” Hunk blurted out, once again made clearly uncomfortable, pushing Keith towards the assailant. 

“Yes, good for you,” the alien responded, then repeated his process with Keith. “Hmm… not much diff- Oh, wait! That’s it! A bit of an after scent but I can identify it now! Tell me, if you would be so kind, what else are you?” 

“What are you talking about?” Keith broke away from his grip and turned to Coran. “What is he talking about?” 

“You must be mistaken and I’m terribly sorry, but we should really be going. Thanks for the help.” Coran herded the boys away, politely refusing the other Kekori who approached them, intrigued by the strange new smell.  
“Please, we don’t mean to intrude, but discovering new species is part of the fun of traversing the universe!” The castle was so close, just a few feet away, when a female Kekori blocked their path and smiled at Keith, taking a deep breath. “It’s just so strange! A mix of human and… a mystery. If you could just tell us, please, it’s just for future reference!” 

“We promise it’s not so we can eat you!” Another, smaller Kekori piped up from behind her, nose turned up to Keith in curiosity. 

“Ok, could everybody just stop smelling Keith!?” Lance cried, handing all his produce to Hunk. “He’s human, like me and Hunk. Not some other alien, he would’ve said something by now! Right, dude?”

“Uhh…” Keith was standing next to Hunk, taking some of his load, trying to avoid the situation revolving around him. “Well, I… I mean… I’m not-”

“Alright, well, thanks for that.” Lance rolled his eyes and turned back to the crowd. “Look, it’s getting pretty late, can we just get back to our castle and… consult our friends? I promise, the Altean will come back out here and clear everything up after that, but I got nothing for you guys, like, I’m so lost right now.” 

Apologetically, the Kekori parted to allow the humans through, whispering amongst themselves, no doubt trying to guess and bet on the new smell. “Yes, yes, take your time! We’ll be here,” someone shouted after them.

  

Once they entered the castle, the other three came to greet them.“Well, we didn’t really find out much about Shiro’s arm, it’s a real mystery, that thing,” Allura admitted, grabbing the round, bumpy fruit and taking a bite. “Oh, you found it! Thank you so much, Coran! So what did you three think of Miros?”

“Oh, you know, it was pretty great, I found this stuff for you guys,” Lance gave Shiro and Pidge what he had procured for them. Everyone then followed him to the kitchen, as he rattled on about other cool things he found, with Hunk interjecting his praise every now and then. Once everything had been put away, Lance sat down at the table with one of the fruits Hunk picked out and looked at the 6 other individuals there. “Oh, yeah, and one last thing, they all think Keith is part alien! Which is, of course, absolutely ridiculous, but I thought it was something I should mention. Anything I missed?”

Allura, Shiro, and Pidge all stared at Lance, then shifted to Keith, then to Coran for confirmation. 

Coran shifted in his seat. “You know how the Kekori have the strongest sense of smell of any species we know of? Well, they claim, emphasis on claim, that Keith is not, in fact, all human. 

Allura exchanged worried and confused glances with Shiro. Pidge turned to Hunk with the same look and requested that they start again, from the beginning.

After Hunk explained to the best of his ability, with Coran and Lance neglecting to help very much, the three who had opted to stay in the castle finally looked to Keith, who had been quiet since they returned. “So,” Pidge paused. “Do we believe them? I mean, do you think you’re something… else?”

“Umm, no. No, I don’t, so let’s not worry about it. They don’t know what they’re talking about.” Keith affirmed, getting up from the table. “Coran, make something up, they probably won’t question it, right? Uhh, so if anyone wants me, I’ll be in my room. Or in training.”

“Keith-” Shiro started to go after him, before feeling Pidge’s hand on his arm. 

“Maybe we should give him some space, for now, at least. Umm, let’s try Lance’s peanut butter!” The two of them, along with Hunk, went to the food goo distributor to attempt making something delectable. Allura and Coran went back out to the Kekori to satisfy their curiosity, saying something about maybe acquiring a DNA sample.

Later that night, everyone had gone to bed in somewhat of a food coma, courtesy of Hunk and all the weird Mirosian produce. Lance was just finishing up a trip to the bathroom, about to slip his eye mask back on, when his stomach rumbled, causing him to sit straight up in his bed. “Man,” all these late night snacks are gonna bite me in the butt one day.” He thought to himself, before getting up, checking out his butt, and making his way out to the kitchen.

The light was already on when Lance entered. Expecting Hunk or Pidge, he was thoroughly surprised when Keith’s eyes met his. “Oh, hey,” Lance smiled, going over to a cupboard and pulling out a jar of what looked like dried mangoes haphazardly fused together and a fork. “Got hungry, too, huh?” 

“No. Just, uhh, couldn’t sleep,” Keith mumbled, sheathing his knife, which he had just been polishing. 

“Oh, why?” Lance asked. He’d had a few sleepless nights himself recently. Partly because he had the tendency to wake up in the middle of the night and get the munchies, and partly because he couldn’t stop missing his family. Their goodnight hugs and kisses, his cousin’s snoring, even his uncle’s sleeptalking. He blinked, shifting his focus back to his “mango,” and took a bite. 

“I don’t know, Lance. I just wasn’t tired.” Keith retorted, giving the blue paladin a look of slight disgust at what he was eating. “I didn’t see that out earlier… What is that?”

Lance licked the fork and eyed the jar. “At first, it looked like cut mangoes, but now that I’m eating it… It sort of tastes like if you took some canned corn, blended it up with week old gravy, and poured it all over,” he took another bite, “stale sourdough bread.” 

Keith narrowed his eyes and scratched his head. “Why are you still eating it?”

“It’s actually not bad. Like, its a weird combo, but like a good weird.” He stuck a big piece on his fork and offered it to Keith. “Here, try some.”

“I am not eating that.” 

“No, seriously, it’s pretty good!” Lance kept poking the fork towards Keith, who was smiling, but kept turning his head away. 

“I don’t want any,” Keith ducked away from the fork every time even the smell reached him. “No, Lance, stop it!” He grabbed the other boy’s arm and laughed when the stuff plopped onto the floor. 

“My gooey bread.” Lance stared at it and sniffled. It was then both boys noticed that Keith was still holding onto Lance’s arm. Keith cleared his throat and dropped his hand faster than the bread fell to the floor. 

Lance used his fork to pick up the goo and launched it into the trash. “Umm, so, come on, what’s the real reason you’re awake?”

“I really don’t know.” Keith sighed and leaned back in his seat. “A lot of things on my mind, I guess.”

“Like what? Wait, you’re not thinking about this alien stuff, are you?” When Keith just shrugged in response, Lance let the fork hang from his mouth. “Seriously? Keith, they’re some random aliens we just met, basing their theory on how you smell. I would be offended if I were you!”

“I don’t believe them, but I can’t help thinking-”

“No. No, no, no. Don’t think about it! They’re blind, Keith!” Lance started to shout, before remembering it was 3 AM and no one would appreciate being woken up at that hour, so he returned to a harsh whisper. “They were discovering a new… human smell! Their noses were confused, that’s all!” 

“I- Yeah, no, you’re probably right. I don’t know what I was thinking. Just forget I ever said anything.” Keith scoffed and got up for the table. “Uhh, see you tomorrow.”

“Ok, hold on,” Lance put down the jar and fork and ran a hand through his hair. “I’m not gonna ask why you think you being half alien could even be a possibility ‘cause I’m sure you don’t know, but why would that keep you up until three in the morning?” 

Keith sighed again and sat back down in the chair, holding Lance’s gaze. “Would you not be freaking out if there was some possibility you were an alien and all your friends fought aliens?”

“Yeah, one species of alien! We also party with them and save their planets and boost their economy! You can’t really think you’re Galran... right?”

“I… didn’t really consider it. But, Lance, ok, tell me the truth. If it were true for you, you wouldn’t be just the tiniest bit scared of the fact you only know one half of yourself? And the other half could be something… completely… I can’t even think of what it could be.” Keith paused, looking down at his hands. “I mean, what if it’s… not good?”

“Well, I would have faith in my friends to stick with me and if it was something… bad, I would take comfort in the fact that they’re all a little strange and would never abandon me, no matter what.” Lance was silent for a moment before scooting his chair closer to Keith. “Hey. I promise you, it doesn’t matter who or what you are, we’re already friends with aliens, one more wouldn’t really make a difference.”

“Thanks, Lance.” 

“Besides,” Lance grinned as he went back to his jar, cleaning it out. “Who wouldn’t want to be different? Just being like everyone else is so… boring. Luckily, I have never experienced such a thing.”

“Oh, yeah?” Keith shot him an amused look. “You would know all about being different, wouldn’t you, Mr. Cargo Pilot?”

Lance gasped, feigning offense. “Low blow, dude.” He got up to take his empty jar to the sink, turning back to Keith when he realized maybe he didn’t quite understand what he was getting at exactly. “You know what I mean when I say I know what it’s like to be different, right?”

“Are we not talking about your flying skills compared to everyone else?”

“Ok, first of all, we’re basically at the same skill level, and no, that’s not what I’m talking about.” Lance figured that Keith must really have no idea. “You know I’m gay, right?”

“What?” Keith stood up from the table and joined Lance at the sink. “You’re kidding, right? You’re messing with me? Lance, you flirt with a new girl from almost every planet we land on! And with Allura… all the time!”

“OK, you got me there. Well, I’m actually pansexual, but I didn’t know if that was in your alien vocabulary, so…”

“I’m not an alien!”

“Exactly.” Lance was beaming as he turned to leave the kitchen.

Keith stared incredulously at his “rival” and smiled, shouting a good night. He heard Lance throw "te amo" back, confused as he stopped dead in his tracks. “What’s wrong? What does that mean?”

“Umm,” Lance spun back around to wave at Keith. “Nothing, I just said good night. See you in the morning!”

**Author's Note:**

> For anyone who doesn't know, te amo means I love you. ;D


End file.
